Abdominals on the bar
Very popular in street workout videos that are often found online, the exercises for the abdomen performed at the barre are great for your six pack.
The departure
For all the exercises that will be listed, the position is the same: hanging from the bar, held firmly with the hands shoulder-width apart, the shoulder blades adducted and the humeri rotated.
If you are at the first uses of the bar, you will find that it will be difficult to maintain the grip for the whole series, and at the beginning it will be a good competition between the abdomen and forearms to who gives first: do not give up, keep the starting position and train yourself to get a steel grip that will also serve you to perform other exercises such as pull-ups.
An important note about the bar: personally I don't like those housewives with screw opening that is fixed by pressure inside the door jambs of the house; although they may be well built, it is one thing to perform the pull-ups, but if by misfortune or error it should give way when we are performing a toe2bar (see subsequent exercises) the first thing that touches the ground is the head.
Another bar that I don't like is that of the classic backrest, not so much in terms of safety but more for a question of space (the wall to which it is fixed would prevent any gymnastic impulse).
Better then to rely on the appropriate structures found on the net with a few hundred euros, or rely on a good trusted carpenter to make one.
1. Bar L-sit
This isometric exercise involves starting from the starting position and contracting the abdomen bring the legs stretched upwards to form an L with the torso; keep the position as long as possible or as indicated on our card.
If this is not successful initially, the same dynamics can be performed by keeping the legs flexed and forming the L only between the torso and the femur.
A nice way to create a small contest between the athletes of the same group is to place a stick on their thighs, and see who manages to drop it last (as soon as the abdomen starts to give out the 90 ° angle starts to grow rolling the stick.
2. Knee2chest
Literally knees to chest, from the starting position take a little momentum (without accentuating the arch too much) bringing the hip forward and the heels behind. By contracting the abdomen in a decisive way then close the position by bringing the knees towards the chest and then smoothly return to the momentum position to perform the next rep.
3. Toe2bar
Literally tiptoe to the bar, this exercise is very similar to the previous one, with the difference that after the small initial push, a closure occurs with the legs slightly bent until you reach your toes on the bar.
4. The clock
This exercise is very difficult and requires extraordinary preparation: not for beginners.
From the starting position, perform a book closing by bringing the toes upwards, keeping the legs as straight as possible. From this position bring the legs down trying not to let them go out from the frontal plane (ideally the one on the wall in front of you) as if they were the hands of a clock.
When you reach three o'clock, go back to 12 o'clock and get off on the opposite side at 9 o'clock.
5. Cross knee 2 chest
An excellent exercise to stimulate the oblique area is to vary the path of the knee2chest seen above.
From the starting position, without performing the small pre-momentum (as it would take place in a different plane from that of the exercise and would be more of a risk of injury than a help) bring the knees together towards the left chest area, then passing again through the initial position bring them to the right side.
This exercise can also apply in increasing knee strength for all ring sports and martial arts that contemplate them, especially if performed with alternate legs (right knee to left pectoral and then left knee to right pectoral).
Now you just have to find a good and sturdy bar to hang on and have some fun!
